(https://www.vgmaps.com/NewsArchives/MotM-2019-12.png)
Catmaze (https://vgmaps.com/Atlas/PC/index.htm#Catmaze)
For this month's "Maps Of The Month" featurette, I wish to draw your attention to eishiya's Catmaze (PC) maps.
Inspired by Slavic mythology and described as a "fairy Metroidvania", Catmaze has you guide the sorceress Alesta to find a way to Nav, the world of the dead. As the name implies, the way is labyrinthine... and has lots of cats! Not to mention side quests, boss battles, skills to acquire and multiple endings. This indie title is impressive enough even before pointing out that this grand adventure was developed by just one person, Slava Gris. When's the last time that you played an epic made by a lone coder/artist?
"Metroidvania" is one of the video game genres where maps are particularly helpful and impressive to behold. Having the whole world before you makes it easier to plot your next course, whether you are charging into new territory or trying to remember where you have to backtrack - this is a Metroidvania, after all, where new skills make previously accessible areas within reach and former obstacles become surmountable. Help Alesta through the woods, ruins, swamps and mountains, and open the road to Nav!
So to recognize the effort put into navigating us to Nav, eishiya's Catmaze (PC) maps will be known as VGMaps.com's Maps Of The Month for December 2019.